Jalandhara is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of the Pithanirnaya; by the text Sati’s breast fell here, and the goddess is Tripuramalini and the Bhairava Bhishana. The name is that of Jalandhar city in Punjab, but according to the historian D. C. Sircar the pitha is placed near Jwalamukhi (Kangra).
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- Deity
- Tripuramalini
- Tradition
- Shakta
- Place
- Disputed: Jalandhar city, or the area near Jwalamukhi
- State
- Punjab or Himachal Pradesh
- Country
- India
Where the sources differ
- Jalandhara is also one of the early four pithas: the Buddhist Hevajra Tantra names Jalandhara, Oddiyana, Purnagiri and Kamarupa (Sircar).
- The Devi Bhagavata (7.30) names the goddess at Jalandhara Vishvamukhi.
- Two places today claim the breast: according to Incredible India the Devi Talab temple in Jalandhar city is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, with the temple of Mata Tripuramalini in its compound, where the right breast is believed to have fallen; according to the Kangra district (Himachal) website the left breast fell at the Brajeshwari (Bajreshwari) temple of Kangra. Because of these two claims no map is given here.
- The count of pithas depends on the text: the Pithanirnaya lists 51, some Bengali lists 52, the Devi Bhagavata (7.30) gives 108 places with names of the goddess, and the early Tantras name only four (Sircar).
Frequently asked questions
Which limb of Sati fell at the Jalandhara Shakti Peetha?
By the Pithanirnaya, a breast; the goddess is Tripuramalini and the Bhairava Bhishana. Whether the pitha is in Jalandhar city or near Jwalamukhi is disputed.
Where is Jalandhara Shakti Peetha?
Jalandhara Shakti Peetha is in Disputed: Jalandhar city, or the area near Jwalamukhi, Punjab or Himachal Pradesh.
Which lists of tirthas include Jalandhara Shakti Peetha?
The 51 Shakti Peethas (number 6 of 51 in the list).
Sources
- D. C. Sircar, The Śākta Pīṭhas (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal 1948; Motilal Banarsidass, 1973): table of the Pithanirnaya pp. 35-37, note on this pitha pp. 12, 45 (archive.org)
- Vachaspatyam (Taranatha Tarkavachaspati), "pitha": the list of pithas quoted from the Tantrachudamani (Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries, sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de)
- Devi Bhagavata Purana 7.30 (the list of 108 pithas), English translation by Swami Vijnanananda (wisdomlib.org)
- Incredible India (incredibleindia.gov.in): Devi Talab Temple, Jalandhar
- Kangra district (hpkangra.nic.in): Kangra Pilgrimage, the Brajeshwari temple
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